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Backpack Food Recipes

Backpack Food Recipes
Camping in the backcountry is an adventure and a challenge. You must deal with weather, wildlife, and technical terrain. Additionally, when backpacking, it's important to carefully plan for meals, as you'll be expending more energy than you can possibly replenish. Having the essential vitamins, minerals, and carbohydrates is critical to an enjoyable backpacking experience.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Backpack Food Recipes

Things You’ll Need:
  • Food dehydrator Raw fruits and vegetables raw beef Ziploc bags
  • Food dehydrator
  • Raw fruits and vegetables
  • raw beef
  • Ziploc bags
Step 1
Determine how many days you'll be in the wilderness. It's critical to plan for each meal for each day. Also, it's important to plan to have at least one serving of protein per day. Also, be sure that you don't box yourself in to several identical meals---this will get repetitive and old as you move about. Think about your favorite meals at home, and remember that weight must be considered when backpacking. Dehydrating food is the best way to save weight.
Step 2
Dehydrate all the raw food you plan to bring. With an average dehydrator you can dry beef, vegetables, and fruits in a matter of days. Make sure to have a variety of ingredients when you begin dehydrating. It's recommended to slice all foods to about an eighth of an inch prior to dehydration. Look at the caloric content of each food item. In general you'll want at least 1,000 calories per meal, as well as an additional 500 to 1,000 calories for snacks.
Step 3
Keep it simple. Macaroni and cheese with beef jerky works wonders and is relatively light. Rice and pasta dishes are also recommended, but make sure to use white rice---or instant---as it takes less time to cook than other kinds. Remember that when cooking you'll need to gauge how much fuel you'll need. A popular impromptu backpacking meal is white rice, beef jerky, dried broccoli, and tomatoes, seasoned with salt and pepper. The meal will only take about seven to 10 minutes to prepare.
Step 4
Repackage all meals. If you want to make a few rice dishes, a few pasta dishes, a few cereal mixes, and some GORP, make sure to package each in its own Ziploc bag. This cuts down on prep time in the woods. Also, remove any packaging that came with the food when you purchased it. This will help save space and weight in your backpack.
Step 5
Do not be afraid to try new things. You may be amazed at what tastes delicious after a strenuous hike. Try combining strange fruits and vegetables for variety. Also remember to carry individual packages of condiments before you set out on your trip---these can add extra zing to a bland pasta dinner.

Article Written By DB Jenkins

DB Jenkins is a professional freelance content provider. He has been running a successful freelance business for two years, and contributes regularly to many publications. His articles have appeared in "The Portland Alliance," "Portland Monthly Magazine," "in\ur Magazine," and The Tallahassee Democrat and Chronicle. He has a bachelor's degree in English from Clark University.

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